2008 Woodie Awards
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Obama & McCain Smackdown
Two University student analysts provide perspective on the presidential debate
by Thomas Martinez |
Name: Quincey O'Gara
Age: 19
Class: Sophomore
Majors: History and International Studies
Hometown: Skillman, N.J.
Party: Democratic
O'Gara in 10 seconds: She came to the University from New Jersey because she was attracted to the size of the school and the breadth of the programs it offers. She considers herself liberal with moderate leanings, and associates with the Democratic Party because of her "socially liberal" beliefs, as well as her belief that the government needs to help the middle class.
ODE: Overall, what did you think of the debate?
O'Gara: It was a really good debate. Both had good points and were generally relevant. They were fond of saying, "This is how I fundamentally differ from my opponent," and that's really important - they needed to define their stances.
ODE: How about the economic part of the debate?
O'Gara: Too much time accusing each other. Both say they want to cut taxes, but rather than focusing on their strengths, they attacked their differences. They should have been talking more about their own plans.
ODE: What about foreign policy?
O'Gara: Obviously, McCain went after Obama's lack of experience, but it didn't seem like McCain was going to implement any really new changes. They were both placing blame, but Obama was able to focus on the fact that these things happened on McCain's watch, while he was supposed to be "experienced," and "a maverick."
ODE: Who won?
O'Gara: There was no clear winner, but Obama is definitely a better speaker and that showed. Obama didn't cream McCain, but I think he won.
Name: David Lach
Age: 18
Class: Freshman
Major: Religious Studies
Hometown: Corvallis
Party: Republican
Lach in 10 seconds: He came to the University from Corvallis specifically for the Religious Studies program. He considers himself a conservative and associates with the party because he believes strongly in a free market, small government and the social values of the Republican party.
ODE: Overall, what did you think of the debate?
Lach: I thought McCain would do really well, but I actually thought Obama won. McCain spent morProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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time attacking Obama than defining himself, which I thought he should have done more. They spent too much time trying to out-do each other. Humorous, but not very constructive. Too much of it was about "I've done, he's done."
ODE: How about the economic part of the debate?
Lach: I thought they were both too vague. The president isn't the commander in chief of the economy, but it seemed like Obama wanted to micromanage everything. Obama kept talking about tax cuts, but skirted the fact that he wants to raise taxes for the top 5 percent of the country.
ODE: What about foreign policy?
Lach: Obama looked stronger. I agreed with McCain more, but Obama was more direct. I thought it was funny, on Iran, Obama came across as more Hawkish while McCain came across as more diplomatic.
ODE: Who won?
Lach: I thought McCain would do really well, but I thought Obama won.
someone@dailyemerald.com
Age: 19
Class: Sophomore
Majors: History and International Studies
Hometown: Skillman, N.J.
Party: Democratic
O'Gara in 10 seconds: She came to the University from New Jersey because she was attracted to the size of the school and the breadth of the programs it offers. She considers herself liberal with moderate leanings, and associates with the Democratic Party because of her "socially liberal" beliefs, as well as her belief that the government needs to help the middle class.
ODE: Overall, what did you think of the debate?
O'Gara: It was a really good debate. Both had good points and were generally relevant. They were fond of saying, "This is how I fundamentally differ from my opponent," and that's really important - they needed to define their stances.
ODE: How about the economic part of the debate?
O'Gara: Too much time accusing each other. Both say they want to cut taxes, but rather than focusing on their strengths, they attacked their differences. They should have been talking more about their own plans.
ODE: What about foreign policy?
O'Gara: Obviously, McCain went after Obama's lack of experience, but it didn't seem like McCain was going to implement any really new changes. They were both placing blame, but Obama was able to focus on the fact that these things happened on McCain's watch, while he was supposed to be "experienced," and "a maverick."
ODE: Who won?
O'Gara: There was no clear winner, but Obama is definitely a better speaker and that showed. Obama didn't cream McCain, but I think he won.
Name: David Lach
Age: 18
Class: Freshman
Major: Religious Studies
Hometown: Corvallis
Party: Republican
Lach in 10 seconds: He came to the University from Corvallis specifically for the Religious Studies program. He considers himself a conservative and associates with the party because he believes strongly in a free market, small government and the social values of the Republican party.
ODE: Overall, what did you think of the debate?
Lach: I thought McCain would do really well, but I actually thought Obama won. McCain spent morProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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oxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
time attacking Obama than defining himself, which I thought he should have done more. They spent too much time trying to out-do each other. Humorous, but not very constructive. Too much of it was about "I've done, he's done."
ODE: How about the economic part of the debate?
Lach: I thought they were both too vague. The president isn't the commander in chief of the economy, but it seemed like Obama wanted to micromanage everything. Obama kept talking about tax cuts, but skirted the fact that he wants to raise taxes for the top 5 percent of the country.
ODE: What about foreign policy?
Lach: Obama looked stronger. I agreed with McCain more, but Obama was more direct. I thought it was funny, on Iran, Obama came across as more Hawkish while McCain came across as more diplomatic.
ODE: Who won?
Lach: I thought McCain would do really well, but I thought Obama won.
someone@dailyemerald.com
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